Group could help get shopkeepers online

A local campaign group has moves to in mind to help shopkeepers in the town  make their presence felt on the internet.

The revelation comes from Mike Edwards, chair of Keep Llangollen Special, in response to a new report by Rotary International which says that small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK are missing a trick when it comes to supporting their local community.

Results reveal that almost half of SMEs do not support their local community, despite the fact that most recognise that community relations increases staff morale and makes their business more attractive to potential customers and employees.

Mike Edwards (pictured left) said: “Generally we have found when talking at a local level to businesses in Llangollen that they already fully support and many are involved with the community.  

“We do appreciate that small businesses have limited resources and their focus priority is naturally their business.  

“We do feel that Keep Llangollen Special can offer support to local shopkeepers and suppliers to help them exploit opportunities provided by the Internet and social media.” 

He added: “Social media such as Facebook and Twitter is a cost effective way of establishing and maintaining contact with customers and obtaining important feedback to understand those customers' needs.  

“We are currently investigating a number of initiatives to enable us to offer full business support to owners of local shops to enable them to compete on a level playing field with large Corporates who have greater resources available to them.  

“We have found that some local businesses do not have a Web presence and we would look to convince them that this is a cost effective way of boosting their turnover and attracting new custom both locally and further afield.”

Thomas and Friends steam into station

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends are making one of their popular visits to Llangollen Railway this weekend.

And fans were out early yesterday (Saturday) to get their place aboard the famous blue steam engine or just to see it go by.

There's another appearance today (Sunday), with gates open at 10am and Thomas arriving at Llangollen Station between 10am and 10.30am

Thomas and his friends are back on Thursday to Sunday, October 25 to 28.

Ticket Prices
Adults £15, Seniors £13, Children £10, Family 1 (1 adult & 1 child) £22, Family 2 (2 Adults & 2 Children) £40, Under 3's FREE

Search team helps Injured walker

North East Wales Search and Rescue (NEWSAR) was called by North Wales Police early yesterday (Saturday) afternoon to assist a well-equipped walker who had sustained an injury while walking in the Berwyn Mountains.

Team members deployed to the rather remote location and at the same time the services of the RAF Search and Rescue Force were requested as it was expected they could get to the casualty more quickly than NEWSAR volunteers on foot would achieve.

One of our team members was out for a day’s walking and was luckily only 2km away on a hill top when he was contacted to help co-ordinate the operation.

A statement from NEWSAR said: “The RAF did their usual excellent job and located the injured person and winched them off, before taking them to hospital.

“Their injuries are not considered life threatening.

“The team was stood down at 3.41pm.”

Food festival cooks up the crowds

* Visitors throng one of the main exhibition areas at Hamper Llangollen 2012.

This year's Hamper Llangollen food festival looks like a sizzling success.

Crowds began to flock into the town's International Pavilion as soon as the doors opened at 10am today (Saturday) and were still queuing to get in late into the afternoon.

And there's still another day of the event which has temporarily turned the town into a foodie heaven.

Hamper Llangollen 2012 facts

• Venue: The Royal International Pavilion, Llangollen
• Dates: Saturday October 20, Sunday October 21
• Times: 10am to 5pm both days
• Entry fee: £5, under 16s free
• Parking: On-site and nearby car parks
• Tickets available on the door

Community hospital plans could be left in "limbo" says report

* People in Llangollen at a public meeting last Monday held
 to protect local health service.   

The Daily Post today (Saturday) has a story which will be of interest to those fighting to protect health services under threat of change in Llangollen.

It says:

"THE lack of a guarantee of funding for the £70 million needed to build or revamp five community hospitals could leave thousands of patients in “limbo”.
That claim was made by North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd who hit out at health chiefs for failing to get an assurance the Welsh Government will stump up cash to build a new £21m hospital on the site of Rhyl’s Royal Alexandra; £40m to overhaul Llandudno; £5.5m for a site at River Lodge to replace Llangollen and £4m to upgrade Holywell.
The Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has put forward these projects as part of a consultation to overhaul the way health care is delivered. It is “confident” it will get the money from the Welsh Government’s capital building programme.
But the Plaid Cymru AM questions that assumption.
“The proposal to downgrade and close community hospitals across the North involves building new health facilities. But it is becoming apparent that, in some cases, this will take years to achieve, in the meantime, people needing localised care would be left high and dry.
“The capital to build new health facilities would come from the Welsh Government, which is facing drastic cuts in the block grant from central government. Does Betsi Cadwaladr have an assurance the money it needs is available? We need a guarantee Llangollen and other communities will not be left in limbo with no hospital and no health centre.”
Mr Gruffydd said the board’s proposal to place patients in private nursing homes “doesn’t really hold water”.
“Even as an interim move this won’t work because the capacity isn’t there locally,” he said.
The consultation, which ends on October 28, was revealing “many unanswered questions” on this and proposed cuts and downgrading of local hospitals such as Blaenau Ffestiniog, Ruthin and Chirk.
A health board spokeswoman said, as it was unable to “pre-determine the outcome of the public consultation”, it had not entered into detailed discussions with local nursing homes regarding placements should Llangollen Hospital close.
“However, if the scheme goes ahead, we will be in a position to utilise inpatient beds at Chirk Hospital, and as an interim measure, look at transferring the vast majority of services to the current health centre.
“Following the consultation each approved project will require a business case for funding from the All Wales Capital Programme: we are confident funding will be made available.
“The health board has already submitted a business case to Welsh Government for £5.7million to move primary care and the health clinic into Tywyn Hospital, Gwynedd: we are awaiting their response.”

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/2012/10/20/70m-funding-guarantee-needed-to-build-or-revamp-north-wales-hospitals-55578-32067084/

Welsh Government asked for cash to finish railway extension



 

* Ken Skates AM, Susan Elan Jones MP and Jim Ritchie,

chair of Llangollen Railway Company.

 

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has called on the Welsh Government to help complete the first phase of the Llangollen Railway Extension.

After a site meeting along with Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones, Llangollen Railway volunteers and Denbighshire Council on Friday, the local representatives were told that the project is £160,000 short of its target to extend the heritage line to Corwen.

The AM immediately contacted Welsh Government officials to ask that they set up an urgent meeting with Denbighshire Council in order to hammer out a plan to complete the project.

Mr Skates said: “As everyone knows, Llangollen Heritage Railway is a jewel in the local crown and an important tourist attraction for the area. Everyone can see it has the potential to grow as an attraction and help bring in more visitors to the area.

“That is why I have been fully supportive of the extension project from the very start and a strong advocate of the line’s potential. 

 

"This funding shortfall is an obvious concern and I have asked officials in the Welsh Government to meet with Denbighshire Council and its partners to ensure this important extension to Corwen is put back on track."

 

Susan Elan Jomes MP said: "The great thing about the Llangollen Railway is the sheer enthusiasm and energy of the volunteers who do such a great job keeping the line running. 

 

"They believe passionately in this extension project and have pressed me hard to ensure its early completion because of the significant benefits it will bring both to the town and wider Dee Valley.

“Lots of work has been put into the extension plan by Denbighshire County Council and the Corwen business community to complete the historic link between the towns of Llangollen and Corwen and we mustn’t let this go to waste.”

Pie-maker to the stars heads for Llangollen

* Pie maker Robert Didier has branched out into bread.

James Bond’s favourite pie maker is on a new mission.

 

Robert Didier has returned to his first love - the art of baking bread which he learned from the Michelin-starred French master chef, Raymond Blanc.

His new range of artisan bread will be officially launched at Hamper Llangollen 2012, held today and tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21, at Llangollen Pavilion.

 

It’s a far cry from when Robert ran a French Bistro in Borough Market, London, which was frequented by the likes of James Bond actor Sean Connery, Expendables 2 star Jason Statham, film director Guy Ritchie and former Chancellor Nigel Lawson.

 

After moving to North Wales in 2003, Robert established his Wrexham-based pie-making company, Orchard Pigs.

 

He's invested more than £20,000 to establish the bakery at his premises on Wrexham Industrial Estate.

 

Robert is now gearing up for the launch of the new range of more than 40 different types of continental bread including French, German, Polish and Black Sea varieties.

 

This year's food festival is being supported by the rural development agency, Cadwyn Clwyd.

 

Cadwyn Clwyd’s contribution came via the Rural Development Fund for Wales 2007-2013, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Welsh Government.

 

Robert said: "We don’t have a shop so Hamper Llangollen will give us the perfect showcase to introduce our new range of bread.

 

“We’ve got everything from carrot and parsnip bread which is a recipe from my English grandmother from the war which I’ve also adapted to create apple and cider bread.

 

“We even do a lava bread bread with real lava bread! You name it and we’ll give it a go."

 

Robert, whose French father was a chef, began his working life at Raymond Blanc’sbakery and patisserie, Maison Blanc, in Oxford, which supplied Harrods and many top London restaurants with authentic French bread and patisseries. 

 

He also did a stint in the kitchen at Blanc's double Michelin starred restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, in the Oxfordshire village of Great Milton.

Robert said: “I was extremely fortunate because at the time he was just a friend of the family. His standards are very high. Everything had to be precise.”

 

He then went stay in the Valence region of the south of France with his grandmother while working as a second chef in a bakery and patisserie, before returning to the UK a year later.

After working for Raymond Blanc for another 12 months, Robert opened his own French bistro, Petit Robert, in London.

 

He recalled: "We built a very good reputation for ourselves. Jay Rayner, the top restaurant critic and the One Show's resident food expert, noted us as one of his favourite restaurants.”

It was also the bistro of choice for Sean Connery and the film director Guy Ritchie while Madonna's ex-husband was filming the British crime-caper,Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

 

Ritchie was regularly joined by the cast which included football hard-man Vinnie Jones and action star Jason Statham, who appears in the explosive new blockbuster The Expendables 2, alongside, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis.

 

Robert said: “I am a huge James Bond fan and I couldn’t believe my eyes when Sean Connery, the ultimate Bond, walked in – he was an absolute gentleman."

 

“Catherine Zeta Jones was another who ate there while one of our regulars was Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor and the father of the kitchen diva, Nigella Lawson."

 

Robert and his family moved Bwlchgwyn, in 2003 after his restaurant was compulsorily purchased to make way for a new railway line.

 

He bought Nant y Ffrith forest, a 250 acre mixed woodland, and populated it with a herd of Oxford sandy and black pigs.

 

Robert explained: “We needed an outlet for the meat so Orchard Pigs was born. Orchard Pigs is the pseudonym for the breed of pigs we kept.

 

“We started off with Wrexham farmer’s market selling bacon and sausages and cuts of meat and it’s grown quite rapidly from then on.”

 

Robert’s company, Orchard Pigs, now makes a range of handmade pies and pastries -including their trademark Tractor wheel pie, using local free range produce.

 

He said: “Baking bread has always been a passion of mine so you could say I'm returning to my first love.

 

"We now employ three members of staff and we are investing £20,000 in the bakery side of the business. Most of it going on an oven to make stone-baked bread so it can have that true French feel."

 

Also starring at Hamper Llangollen 2012 will be a trio of Wales's top chefs.

 

Graham Tinsley, the star of ITV's Taste the Nation and a former captain of the Welsh Culinary Team, will be joined in the show kitchen by S4C favourite Dudley Newberry.

 

Completing the hat-trick will be the ever popular Dai Chef, who is returning to the event after an absence of several years.

 

Robert Price added: “Thanks to a whole host of indigenous companies, North East Wales is rapidly establishing a reputation as a centre of excellence for high quality cuisine.

“The food festival is a perfect shop window for the companies who form the backbone of our rural economy.

 

"The location of the Pavilion is absolutely spectacular - I can't imagine that any other food festival in the UK has a more beautiful setting."

 

For more information about Orchard Pigs go towww.orchardpigs.co.uk and for more information about Hamper Llangollen 2012 visithttp://www.llangollenfoodfestival.com/

Local eateries' hygiene standards revealed online

Figures for claimed hygiene standards of eateries in and around Llangollen are revealed online.

To mark the second anniversary of the introduction of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, or "scores on the doors" as it has been dubbed, Denbighshire County Council is highlighting the fact that are available online are the ratings for food establishments across the county, including Llangollen and district.

In Denbighshire as a whole, officers have visited 1,012 businesses over the past two years: 699 were rated '5', the highest possible rating; five rated '0,' the lowest score possible. In that time there were five prosecutions, five simple cautions and 59 improvement notices served.

The ratings can be viewed at www.food.gov.uk/ratings - rather than typing just the word "Llangollen" into the search facility, put in the "LL20" postcode and this gives you a geographical spread of establishments not just in the town but also in neighbouring areas such as Fron and Glyn Ceiriog. 

There are nine pages of  local ratings to look at, with scores across the whole spectrum being recorded.

Ratings can also be accessed on the move, for free, via the app for Android and iPhone.
Good hygiene is good for business - that's the message from the county council as it raises awareness of food hygiene issues amongst businesses

Recent data shows that currently just over 83% of businesses across Wales have a rating of 3, 4 or 5, compared with just under 77% this time last year, and there has been a decline in those businesses that have been given a low rating of 0, 1 or 2, from 23% in September 2011 to just under 17% now.

Councillor David Smith, Cabinet Lead Member with responsibility for Food Safety said: "The Hygiene Rating Scheme was brought in to introduce standards and more of a level playing field. Customers know a lot more about the scheme nowadays and so do people responsible for running food premises. They are fully aware of the cleanliness standards expected and the majority comply with the regulations.

" A national publicity programme was launched before the scheme began and we are taking this opportunity to continue raising the profile of the scheme. It seems as if the majority of people are heeding the message.

Emlyn Jones, Food Health and Safety Manager for Denbighshire said: "Our initial approach is one of prevention and education. We want to work with businesses to ensure they comply with the law and most importantly, ensure the health and well-being of customers who decide to purchase and eat goods purchased.

"We will also continue with enforcement action against those individuals or companies that fail to comply with improvement notices or who wilfully neglect to follow the stringent guidelines in place. There is simply no excuse for it."

Parking problems aired by town councillors

* The A5 is one the area's of town affected by parking problems.

 

The problem of parking came up for discussion by members of the Town Council at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Cllr Mike Pugh said “lots of liberties” with parking were being taken in Castle Street in particular.

He revealed how he had recently seen a vehicle left parked right by the traffic lights without attracting the attention of enforcement wardens.

Cllr Pugh added: “There ought to be a system where people are prosecuted for things like this by the traffic wardens or the police.”

Concerns were also raised about parking on the busy A5 opposite Stan’s store.

Cllr Tim Palmer said there was a “strong argument” for the whole of Berwyn Street and Regent Street, which form the main A5 through the town, having double yellow lines to prevent all parking.

It was agreed that all these concerns should be raised with the county council or the police. 

Campaigner replies on Town Council health discussion

We have received this letter from campaigner Martin Crumpton  in response to the story we published on Wednesday about the discussion at the previous evening’s Town Council meeting on proposed health changes in Llangollen:

Dear Llanblogger,

I read your article entitled “Town Council works out response to health shake-up” and I write in response to set the record straight.

I and other campaigners found out about Betsi Cadwaladr’s intentions at the beginning of August, as did everyone. Being somewhat seasoned campaigners, we knew that we had to begin our work immediately, even before the ten-week consultation period had begun, on September 20^th.

We were not alone in knowing we had to use every day available to us: so did Conwy, Prestatyn, Ruthin, Flint, Mold, Chirk, and many others in the same boat as us. The common thread of all these campaigns is they were either wholly supported by their town councils or actually led by them.

A number of us asked the Town Council for a public meeting. They could have done this themselves, without us prompting them. Instead they advised against it, so we had to organise our own public meeting, and even call for a local referendum.

The Town Council claimed they didn’t yet have enough information to give a response, yet as of their last Town Council meeting, 16^th October, neither they nor we know anything materially different from what we knew in early August.

They promised to give their reaction at the next convenient Town Council meeting, but at that meeting they decided to attend the consultation instead, to find out more detail. As before, they’re no wiser now than they were at the beginning of August.

We, the campaigners, on the other hand, have lobbied the Press and got several front page stories, had our message broadcast on BBC Radio Cymru and the BBC News website, gained the support of Mark Isherwood AM, Aled Roberts AM, and Llyr Gruffydd AM, and now Ken Skates has come on board with our message that we need to retain the hospital until its proposed replacement is up and running. We have written to the Health Minister, Mary Burrows, the Health Council, spread the word on Facebook and Twitter, organised a number of petitions and communicated our news far and wide in the community.

The Town Council, by comparison, has done nothing until twelve days before the end of the consultation period, and hasn’t even agreed the wording of their “response”. That’s to be finalised by the Town Clerk, apparently.

Perhaps this shows how high a priority the issue is with the Town Council, but we note the remarks by Cllr Mike Pugh and Cllr Tony Baker which fly in the face of the Mayor’s and the Town Clerk’s assertions of being “proactive” and “thoughtful and diligent”.

We could have joined forces and been far more effective, but the Town Council did not engage with us, and made no effort whatsoever to galvanise the town’s residents.

There will be a deciding vote [on the health service changes] in The Senedd in December. Perhaps the Town Council would like to become proactive, thoughtful and diligent in the little time we have left and engage with the people it purports to represent.

It could do no worse than look to other town councils in Conwy, Prestatyn, Ruthin, Flint, Mold, Chirk, and many others in the same boat as us and take their lead from them, instead of being the odd one out.

Martin Crumpton

"Mindless vandalism" at Riverside Park

* Picnic tables were torn out of the ground and dumped in the bandstand at Riverside Park, says a councillor.

A member highlighted what he branded an act of “mindless, wanton vandalism” during Tuesday night’s meeting of the Town Council.

Cllr Tony Baker said it happened in Riverside Park where vandals had recently ripped two picnic tables out of the ground and thrown them on to the bandstand.

However, he said he believed whoever was responsible had been caught on CCTV in the process.

Town clerk J Gareth Thomas said the tables had been taken away for repair by the county council’s countryside services team and that when they were returned to the park the intention was to anchor them more firmly into the ground.

A number of councillors mentioned other instances of anti-social behaviour in the town and Mr Thomas said he would invite a police representative to attend the next council meeting.

He also told members that it could be time to start looking at replacing some of the town centre’s CCTV cameras as technology had moved on since they were first installed some years ago.

Work on new locomotive steaming ahead

* An artist's impression of how The Unknown Warrior will look on its launch day in 2018.  

 

 * Daniel Williams, left, from Wrexham, and Jon Zuloaga from Spain have been working on The Unknown Warrior.

 

SPECIALIST engineers at Llangollen Railway are steaming ahead on an ambitious £1.5 million project to build an entirely new locomotive to mark the centenary of the end of World War One in six years time. 

And early next month railway buffs can see for themselves how the steam engine, to be known as The Unknown Warrior to commemorate those who died in the 1914-18 conflict, is taking shape in the railway’s own workshops. 

The LMS-Patriot Project  was launched by heritage railway enthusiast David Bradshaw with the aim of building a new Patriot class loco, the originals of which ran in the 1920s and 30s.

This will tour heritage railways across the country and will also be capable of running on the mainline rail network.

 

Target date to have it rolling is the 100^th anniversary of the Armistice on November 11,  2018.

Cash for the project is coming from pubic donations, legacies , commercial sponsorship and grant applications.

It has received the endorsement of the Royal British Legion, and the engine will carry a Legion crest above its nameplate.

Many original LMS drawings have been obtained for the project and, where necessary,  draughtsmen are preparing new drawings using computer techniques which produce them in 3D.

Assembly of the The Unknown Warrior began in 2009 led by Dave Owen, chief mechanical engineer of Llangollen Railway Works.

Other workshops around the UK are making components for the new loco, including the Boro Foundry at Stourbridge, the South Devon Railway, LNWR Heritage and Tyseley Locomotive Works.

To mark Remembrance Day, visitors will be given guided tours of the project on Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4.

They will see that the massive steel frames – or chassis - of The Unknown warrior have now been laid using heavy gauge steel plate and enormous castings at a cost of £48,000.

Dave Owen, the man in charge of the project, explained that the next stages are to install the steam parallel boiler.

Roughly the length of a single-decker bus and three times as heavy, this will cost £500,000.

Fundraising for it began in May this year  with the national launch of an appeal at Crewe.

LNWR Heritage in Crewe, the company founded by pop mogul and steam enthusiast Pete Waterman, will be building the boiler.

Next after the boiler will come the fitting of the loco’s six 6ft high wheels iron wheels, which are now being cast at the Boro Foundry at a total cost of £60,000.

The “tyres” which encase the wheels and the axles on which they will turn are both being sourced from specialists in South Africa.

While some of the components for the engine are new, others are being reclaimed from scrap or bought from private railway collections.

The chimney which will sit proudly on top of the finished loco is actually from an original Patriot class engine and currently sits on the workshop floor ready to be lifted into place.

While Llangollen Railway runs almost entirely on volunteer power, the workshop has about a dozen paid and highly specialised staff, many of whom are working on the Patriot project, which will bring in much-needed revenue for the heritage operation.

If building The Unknown Warrior has an international feel because of where its components are coming from, so has the workforce.

Because among those involved on Patriot is 21-year-old Jon Zuloava from Bilbao in northern Spain who is currently on a spell of work experience in Llangollen.

He said: “I have been here since April and have enjoyed working on the project very much as it is so interesting.”

To keep the project steaming along, regular cash contributions are needed.

As Dave Owen said: “This is a very expensive thing to build and the people behind it have come up with a scheme in which various parts can be sponsored

“That can be anything from a simple nut at £2 right up to a complex driving wheel casing for £9,000.”

He added: “I’d say this has been a complex project to work in within the range of basic engineering but everyone is finding it very interesting.”

Llangollen Railway spokesman George Jones said: “It means great cudos for us that our workshop is putting this unique steam locomotive together.”    

On November 3 and 4 the Poppy Train will run out of Llangollen Station proudly wearing its own poppy. 

The service will depart at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on both days for a period of quiet reflection.  

There will be free entry to the workshops to see the Patriot project at specific times on both days with a valid train ticket.  

Tickets: Adults £12, seniors £10, children £6, family £30. 

Business life continues for Stephanie Booth

llanblogger brings you the following story courtesy of the Leader

STEPHANIE Booth has no intention of calling time on her business career.
The colourful businesswoman and one-time prospective Wrexham FC owner (pictured right) has spoken of her delight at seeing all four of her hotels in the Llangollen Hotels chain sold, more than a year after that part of her business empire suddenly collapsed.
In a rare interview, Mrs Booth has also revealed the philosophical approach she adopts to life following the hotel group’s collapse.
Mrs Booth, 66, insists she is not contemplating retirement and is pursuing other business avenues.
“I’ve been overseas for a few weeks but I can’t say anything more than that,”she told the Leader.
“I really do not think we are ready to retire.
“It is my belief we should keep going, it is not in our nature to retire.”
In July 2011 Llangollen Hotels’ parent company Global Investment Group was placed into administration.
This led to four hotels in the Llangollen and Llandegla areas being put up for sale, with all having now been taken over and continuing to operate as hotels.
Mrs Booth, who ran the hotels with husband David, has expressed her pleasure at seeing her former colleagues stay in work.
“Although this doesn’t have any direct impact on me personally, I am pleased to see they have been sold,” she said.
“My concern is for the staff and I am just glad their futures all appear to have been secured.
“From what I have been told the people that work at the hotels seem to be happy and like the new owners. I am very glad to hear that.”
Reflecting on her time in the hotel trade, Mrs Booth said: “We were never remote bosses.
“The workers called us by our Christian names. They were both colleagues and our friends.
“We did hotels because we loved them, we had a really good run. I loved to see happy customers, it was really rewarding but hard work.
“What happened in the end was out of our hands.”
Mrs Booth has continually insisted the collapse of the hotel group was due to issues over settling a large tax bill.
She said the couple are now only involved in one hotel, The Anchor in Ruthin.
The Wynnstay Arms in Wrexham closed suddenly in July last year, leaving staff out of work and couples’ wedding day plans left in tatters, but it has since reopened.
The closure of The Wynnstay came just months after Mrs Booth emerged as a contender to buy Wrexham FC, with the club eventually being taken over by the Wrexham Supporters Trust.
Looking back on the events of 2011, Mrs Booth has a philosophical attitude.
“The world is a cruel place,” she said. “Nobody promised us it would be easy.
“I believe you cannot live life with regrets. I don’t hate anybody, I think that destroys you.
“I always recognise we live in a very privileged society in Britain.
“I’m always conscious I could have been born in a very poor country, but we are very privileged here.”

Town Council works out response to health shake-up

Town councillors worked out their official response to controversial plans to shake up health services in Llangollen at their meeting on Tuesday night.

Although the precise wording has yet to be worked out by the town clerk, this will be along the lines of a suggestion from the mayor, Cllr John Haddy, that there must be some certainty that if the Cottage Hospital closes as proposed, the services it currently provides will continue to be delivered locally until a planned new health centre is opened.

The closure of the hospital and its replacement with a new health facility, possibly on the site of the derelict River Lodge just up the road, is proposed by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) as part of a major programme of changes to services across the region.

The current public consultation exercise on the programme ends on October 28.

The plan has already sparked a backlash in Llangollen and led recently to calls for a local referendum to be held on the issue.

Last Monday evening at a public meeting hosted by newly-formed action group Keep Llangollen Health Services (KLHS) there were calls for a mass letter-writing campaign to oppose the loss of any local health facilities.

The Town Council has in the past come under fire for not playing a more active role in the issue.

As its official response to the consultation was being discussed on Tuesday evening, these criticisms were referred to by Cllr Mike Pugh.

Explaining that he had attended the KLHS public meeting, he said: “There was a feeling there that there should have been more input from the Town Council.

And Cllr Tony Baker said: “I have been asked by members of the public why the Town Council has not been more proactive.”

The mayor replied that there had been a group who called for a referendum under legislation that was not appropriate.

He added: “Although we advised that this was not the way forward they decided to go ahead anyway.

“There are two problems with that – first, it put us in a position where we could not support that and, second, the emphasis was on a referendum rather than the health board’s proposals.

“We were proactive but there are limits to the areas in which we can act.”

Town clerk J Gareth Thomas said: “We have been thoughtful and diligent in the way we have taken it forward.”

Concerns were voiced by a number of councillors about the possibility of a lengthy time gap between the hospital being closed and a new heath centre opening.

Cllr Robert Lube said: “I accept that it is not really economical to keep the hospital going and I like the idea of the new health centre but I am concerned about that gap.”

And Cllr Tim Palmer said: “We must express to the health board that while the investment is very welcome, we have to ensure that no services are lost.”

Summing up the response to BCUHB, the mayor said: “We need to make sure that services we already have are, as an interim measure, guaranteed.” 

Hillsborough survivor welcomes new probes

NEWS that police wrong-doing at Hillsborough will be the subject of two major investigations has been welcomed by a survivor of the tragedy.

Last week, 56-year-old Kelvin “Kelly” Davies (pictured right), who works as a machine operator at the Dobson & Crowther factory in Llangollen, gave his harrowing account to llanblogger of how he narrowly survived the human crush at the Sheffield Wednesday stadium, which claimed the lives of 96 fans in April, 1989.  

He told of how he watched a young boy die beside him but was himself plucked to safety by a friend and carried away from the body-strewn terraces by fellow Liverpool fans on an advertising hoarding torn from the side of the pitch.

It has now been announced that two separate probes are to be carried out into the disaster by  the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is the police watchdog body, and the Director of Public prosecutions.

They will both be looking at whether crimes were committed by the police.

The IPCC said both serving and former officers would be investigated over the deaths of the fans and they will consider if individuals or corporate bodies should be charged.

The Hillsborough Independent Panel last month revealed 164 police statements were altered - 116 of them to remove or change negative comments about the policing of the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Sheffield stadium.

It said police and emergency services had made "strenuous attempts" to deflect the blame for the disaster on to fans.

The panel also found that 41 of the 96 who died had the "potential to survive" and calls have been made for fresh inquests.

Kelly Davies, who lives in Rhosymedre, said: “I welcome both these investigations.

“The report by the Hillsborough Independent Panel last month opened up a can of worms and these new inquiries which have been announced are unprecedented in British legal history.

“Now I want to see this taken one step further and the inquests into the disaster re-opened.

“This time there should be verdicts of corporate manslaughter rather than accidental death.”

Mr Davies, who stills sees images of the boy who died beside him in the crush of the terraces, added: “It is wrong that it has taken 23 years to get where we are today with this.

“For those of us who were there that day this has been hanging over our heads all that time.

“At the time The Sun newspaper said awful things about how Liverpool fans behaved and mud sticks.

“For years and years it has been as though we were to blame for the deaths of our 96 fans.”

Deputy chair of the IPCC Deborah Glass said "without a shadow of a doubt" it would be the biggest ever investigation carried out into police behaviour in the UK.

Both South Yorkshire Police, who dealt with the tragedy, and West Midlands Police, who investigated how South Yorkshire handled the disaster, will come under scrutiny.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC,  said in a statement: “Having read and considered the report published by the Hillsborough Independent Panel on 12 September 2012 and liaised with the Home Office and Independent Police Complaints Commission, I have concluded that the Crown Prosecution Service should consider all the material now available in relation to the tragic events on 15 April 1989, including the material made available by the Independent Panel.

“The purpose of this exercise is to identify what the focus of any further criminal investigation should be in order for the CPS to determine whether there is now sufficient evidence to charge any individual or corporate body with any criminal offence. All potential offences that may have been committed and all potential defendants will be considered.

“In carrying out this exercise, the CPS will work closely with the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

“Through the Right Reverend James Jones, the Bishop of Liverpool, I have today communicated my decision to the bereaved families and their representatives and indicated that, in conjunction the IPCC, the CPS intends to keep them fully informed of developments and to take such views as they express into account.”

AM welcomes new young people's scheme

 

 * Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Children

and Social Services, with Ken Skates at

the launch of the scheme.

 

Clwyd South Assembly Member Ken Skates has welcomed the launch of a new Welsh Government scheme to help young people in care make a successful transition to adult life.

Back in January he proposed a Private Members Bill in the Assembly to ensure looked after children could stay with their current foster carer after the age of 18 should they wish to do so.

After receiving cross-party support in the Assembly, the Welsh Government agreed to work with the AM to bring forward its own scheme which it has launched for a 12-week consultation today.

It comes as the latest statistics on looked after children show the numbers of children in care has risen 6% in the last year and 24% in the last five years.

Mr Skates said: “I’m delighted that the Welsh Government takes seriously the issues facing care leavers and is launching this new scheme to support young people as they make the important transition from care to adult life.

“The challenges faced by any young person as they make the move into adult life are very great indeed, but for those in care it can be especially daunting. This new scheme, ‘When I Am Ready’, is designed to give young people approaching the end of care the same firm foundations to begin adult life as their peers.

“It’s designed to give them the chance to extend the period in which they remain in a supportive environment and stop some of our most fragile and most vulnerable young people from leaving the care system abruptly and setting up for a life on their own without the skills they need to thrive.

“Though children in care are a lot safer than they were a decade ago, many lack the educational qualifications, housing support and emotional help they need to flourish in adulthood straight away and struggle as a consequence. Families continue to give help and support to their own children well after the age of 18 and we as corporate parents need to be doing the same thing.

“There is no ‘silver bullet’ to the challenges of being in care, but‘When I Am Ready’ is designed to be a constructive system of support that can offer a chance for care leavers to make a success of their young lives.”

The proposed scheme“When I Am Ready” will offer eligible children the opportunity to stay with their foster carers beyond the age of 18. This recognises that not all young adults are ready to move to living on their own, especially if they are vulnerable or have complex health, learning or other needs.

This scheme would also allow young people to complete their education or training without surrendering the support network that they are used to.

A 12-week consultation on the scheme begins today (Tuesday, 9 October) and there will also be a young-persons version of the consultation so the Welsh Government can get the views of young people themselves in care.

Gwenda Thomas, Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services, said: “This is great news for young people in foster care. Many of these young people have already had disrupted lives and they may lack the stable support network needed to move on to independent living, yet this can happen when they are much younger than their peers.

“Councils will need to be creative and innovative in implementing the scheme in their areas and reflect this in their commission of placements for 18 to 21-year-old care leavers.

“This scheme is about offering young people choice and control over their placement and giving them support when they decide they are ready to move on.

“I’d like to thank Ken Skates AM for addressing this very important issue and for the work he has done consulting organisations and young people on what they would want from this scheme.”

Meeting pledges to fight for Llan health services

* Mabon Ap Gwynfor addresses the audience at the public meeting.

PEOPLE in Llangollen are not going to let their community hospital go without a fight.

That was the message which came from a packed public meeting at The Hand Hotel in the town last night (Monday).

Attended by around 60 people, it was called by the newly-formed action group opposing controversial plans by the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) to close the Cottage Hospital and replace it with a new health centre, possibly on the site of the derelict River Lodge hotel just down the road.

People at the meeting took up the invitation from members of Keep Llangollen Health Services to write letters opposing the plans to the BCUHB and to patients’ watchdog body the Community Health Council.

A number put pen to paper at the meeting.

They also signed a protest petition which has been going around Llangollen for the past few weeks and currently contains over 1,000 local names.

KLHS member Maria Haines said there were a number of concerns about the board’s proposals and that it was essential local people expressed their opinions before the official public consultation ends on October 28.

She explained that while local people might want to see a new health centre provided, many were unhappy the board had already said it would not offer the same range of facilities as the Cottage Hospital, including care beds and a minor injuries unit.

There was also fears the board might not be able to attract the necessary finance to pay for the new centre and, even if it did, there could be a gap of two-three years between the hospital closing and the new centre being opened, she claimed.

She added there were further worries about who would pay for the enhanced community care for the elderly which the board says will replace care beds at the hospital.

Ms Haines said: “We need to ask the health board to look again at this and come up with more options.”

Another group member Mabon Ap Gwynfor branded the health board’s proposals as “a sham and faulty” and said they would end up costing more to implement than any savings they would achieve.

He added: “I would urge everyone to send in letters setting out their views about these proposals to the health board and the Community Health Council.

“They should know the strength of feeling there is in Llangollen.

“We are not going to let the hospital go without a fight.”

* The address to write to at the health board is: Mary Burrows, Chief Executive, Freepost RSZZ-SGXY-TSEZ, Bertsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Matthew House Unit 35, Llys Edmund Prys, St Asaph Business Park, St Asaph, LL17 0JA.

* Address of the Betsi Cadwaladr Community Health Council is: Cartrefle, Cefn Road, Wrexham, LL13 9NH.